Attachment for artificial arms



W. A. NICELROY.

ATTACHMENT FOR ARTIFICIAL ARMS. APPLICATION FILED AuG.3I. 1921.

1,417,267 Patented May 23, T922.

. I//EA/Toe WILLIAM AMcELQOy 'l I 5 -TToreNE sraras 'ENT ATTACHMENT FUR ARTIFICIAL ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application iled August 31, 1921. Serial No. 497,091.

T 0 u-ZZ coo/m it may concern:

Be it known that l, lVrLLIAM A. McELRoY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have made a new and useful. invention-to wit, lmprovements in Attachments for Artificial Arms; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates particularly to an artificial limb.

An object of this invention is to provide a mechanical substitute for the lingers and hand, which may be operatively applied to an artiiicial limb, that will operate substantially in the same manner as the fingers and hand of a human being. A further object of the invention is to provide an artificial limb that may be readily adjustable to any number of predetermined positions. A

further object is to provide an artificial limb that will be superior in point of simplicity, inexpensiveness of construction,` positiveness of operation, facility and convenience in. use and general eiiiciency. Other objects and advantages willappear as this description progresses.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention illustrated is the form considered to be the best, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be em bodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that in any of the claims following the description, it is desired.' to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

In the accompanyingone sheet of drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away to illustrate an artificial limb con# structed in accordance with my invention..

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1. `Figure 3 is a plan view of the under side of Figure 1'.

Figure l is a vertical section taken through Figure 1 onl the line 4 4'.

Inthe manufacture of artificial limbs,more particularly -ofl mechanical substitutes for the fingers and hand on an articial arm, it has been found extremely diicult to pro vide a satisfactory substitute whereby the wearer might use the mechanical contrivance Vin the same manner as the real lingers and hand.. My invention contemplates a me chaiiical construction ot' an' artificial hand which will, in measure, permit of the same uses as the human hand and in detail the construction illustrated in 'the drawings comprises an arm or supporting member il. The supporting member 1 is diagrammatically illustrated so as to represent any general type or forni of artificial arm and which, in this particular instance, is composedof a substantially cylindrical body havin a peripheral collar 2 around the open end thereof. A plate 3 is provided within the cylindrical body` 1 and approximately closing the open end of the 'saidbody A. plate fl is provided within the interior of the body and fixedly secured thereto. Compression spring 5 is mounted within the body andbetween the plates 3 and l and normully tends to press or force the plate 3 outwardly in contact with the collar 2. Each of the plates 3 anda is provided with concentric openings as at 6 and 7 the said open` ing 7 being enla-:ged to receive the slotted bushing 8, the edge of which projects beyond the plate l-and is serrated as shown at 9.

rlhe hook member 10 has a shaft 11 thereon, substantially of the same diameter as the openings G and 7, and which is adapted to pass therethrough. To hold the hook member 10 and supporting member 1 in operative position the shaft 11 is provided with a projection 19. on the end thereof which is adapted to register with and pass through the slotted portion of the bushing 8 when placed in engagement therewith. After the projection 1Q passes beyond thc slot in the interior of the bor y portion of the member 1, the shoulder lll on the hook member 10 adjacent the shaft 11 engages the movable plate 3 and tends to compress spring 5, at which juncture shaft 11 would be rotated so as to move the projection 12 thereon in engagement with the serrated edge of the bushing` 8 in which position lit would be securely `locked through the compressive action of the spring 5, indirectly bearing against the hook shoulder 14. The hook member 10 is a relatively stationary element and between the curved terminus 15 thereof and the shaftll, it is slotted as at 16 intermediate the side walls 17 and 18. The slotted portion 16 is preferably a uniform passageway between the parallel sides 17 and'18. The side walls 17 and 18 are formed on a radial curvature and each of the side walls 17 and 18 have aligned radial.

slots 19 cut therein on a predetermined radius. A companion or relatively movable hook member 20` with a suitable terminus 21 is adapted to be mounted in juxtaposition to the hook 10 and which has the flattened, end 22 thereof made of a thickness slightly less than the slot 16 whereby said end 22 may be slidably mounted in the aforementioned position. A suitable pivot pin 23 fixed in the shaft end terminus of the hook member 10 is adapted to pass through a pivot hole in the flattened end 22 of the hook 20 whereby eac-h of said hooks will be maintained in pivotal relation and it becomes possible to move one of the hook members relative to the other. The flattened end of the hook member 20 is provided with a radial slot 24 therein normally eccentric to the slots 19 and in partial registry therewith.

The end ofthe flattened portion 22 of the hook member 2() is provided with a projecting arm 26 thereon and through the end of which the stud shaft 27 passes. said shaft having the rollers 23 and 29 freely mounted thereon on opposite sides of the arm 26. A U-shaped or yoke member 3() is provided with spaced arms 31 and 32 that are adapted to straddle the side walls 17 and 18 whereby the ends 33 and 311 of said yoke member may be pivotally engaged with the ends of the stud shaft 27. A cross-pin 35 is adapted to pass between the sides 31 and 32 of the yoke 30 and to which the looped ends of the. coil springs 36 and 37 are secured, said springs passing around the rollers 28 and 29 and having the opposite ends thereof secured to the cross pin 36 mounted in the flattened end 22 of the hook member 20. It is desirable that thesprings 36 and 37 be normally under sufficient tension so as to hold the bridge portion ofthe yoke 30 in frictional contact with the upper edge of the hook member 10 as shown in Figure 1. Between the bridge .portion 30 of the yoke member and the ends and 34 thereof, a cross'shaft 40, having a roller 4 -1 thereon, has its opposite ends journaled in the side members 31 and 32 of the said` yoke, and in alignment with the partially registering slots 1 9 and 211 in the hook members l() and 20. The exterior of the bridge portion of `the yoke 30 is suitably finished to lpermit a cable or the like being securely fastened thereto for the purpose of moving the vsaid yoke member 30 and thus moving the hook members 10 and 20 in any predetermined or desirable position.

`In, the actual operation of this invention the wearerof the artificial limb would have a cord L12 secured to the bridge end of the yoke'v 30 which would be grasped when it .fwould be-desired to separate the superficially contactingtermini 15 and 21 of the hookirrlembers 10 and 20. Movement @fthe hook members 10 and 2() relative to each other is accomplished by moving the yoke 30 about the stud shaft 27, which results in moving the roller shaft 10 proportionately between the"cccentrically positioned. radial slots 19 and 211. rThe shaft 10 thus acts as a cam and apertures 19 and -2l1'as cam slots wl'lereby movement of the said cam element 410 relative to the slots, registers predetermined portions thereof and elevates or lowers the hook members 10 and 20 according to the position of the cam et() rela tive to the radial slots 19 and 211. Any movement whatsoever of the yoke 3() against the tension of the springs 36 and 3T, said spring` means acting on the yoke 30, shaft 40 and radial slots 19 and 2a for normally maintaining yeach of thev hook termini in superficial contact.

To illustrate the operation of the invention the yoke 30 would be moved radially about its pivot axis 2T spreading the hooks 1() and 20 in direct proportion. An article to be grasped would then be positioned between the hooks 10 and 20 and the said hooks allowed to come together (due to the spring` action) in which position the article would be grasped and securely held. Once an article is positioned between the hook members 10 and 20. it would be impossible to withdraw it therefrom inasmuch as spreading action of the hook members 10 and 20 would tightly wedge against the yoke 30 and thus be tightly locked. As a result the cam action of the shaft 40 and the slots 19 and .24 automatically controls the separation or coming together of the hook members 10 and. 20 in contra-distinction to various known artificial appliances tended to function in a similar manner whereinthe hoo-k or jaw membersare separated manually.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: y

`1. A device such as described comprising a supporting member; a hook-member vhaving a radial slot therein connected tof said supporting member; -an auxiliary l hook member having a radial slot therein, placed in juxtaposition to said first mentioned hook 115 member. and pivotally connected thereto; and a cam, pivotally connected to one of said hook members and operatively arranged in the slots in each of said hook members, for moving one of said hooks relative to the 120 other. 1'

2. A device such as described comprising a supporting" member; a hook member having a radial slot therein connected to said supporting member; an auxiliary hook member 125 having a radial slot therein, placed in juX-V taposition to vsaid first mentioned hook member7 and pivotally connected thereto; a cam, pivotally connected to one of said hook members, and operatively arrangedin the slots lim` in each of said'hoolr members, forl moving one ot said hooks relative to the other and spring means for normally maintaining each of said hooks in superficial Contact.

3. A device such as des-il'ribed comprising a supporting` member; a relatively stationary hook member connected to said supporting member; and having a radial slot therein; a movable hook element pivotally connected to said first mentioned hook member, in juxtaposition therewith, and having a radial slot therethrough each of said slots being mounted eoeentrically relative to each other; and means, pivotally connected to one oi:` said hook menibershaving an extended portion passing through said slots, adapted to move one of said hooks relative to the other.

a. AY device sueh as described comprising a supporting member; a relatively stationary hook member connected to said supporting member, `and having a radial slot therein; 'a movable hook element pivotally connected to said first mentioned hook member, in juxtaposition therewith, and having` a radial slot therethrough each of said slots being mounted eccentrically relative to each other; means pivotally connected to one or" said hook members having an extended portion passing through said slots, adapted to move one of said hooks relative to the other and spring means for normally maintaining each of said hooks in superficial Contact.

5. A device such as described comprising a supporting member; a relatively stationary hook member, connected to said supporting member, having a radial slot therethrough, a movable hook element pivotally connected to said first mentioned hook member, in juxtaposition therewith, and having a radial slot therethrough, each oi' said slots being mounted eceentrieally relative to earh other and in partial registry; a cam arm pivotally mounted on one olf' said hook elements and having a portion thereot passing through said axial slots adapted to move one of said hooks relative to the other and spring means for normally maintaining` each of said hooks in. superficial Contact.

6. A device such as described comprising a supporting member; a hook member adjustably connected to said supporting member; an auxiliary hoolr member pivot ally connected to said first mentioned hook member in juxtaposition therewith: a cam arm pivotally mounted on one of said hook members and eccentrically engaging each of said hook members for moving each or said hook members relative to the other.

7. A device such as described comprising a supporting member; a hook member adjustably connected to said supporting member; an auxiliary hook member pivotally connected to said iirst mentioned hook member in juxtaposition therewith; a cam arm pivotally mounted on one of said hook members and ecoentrically engaging each of said hook members for moving each of said hook members relative to the other and spring means for normally maintaining each ot said hooks in superlieial Contact.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 26th day of August, 1921.

WILLIAM A. MoELR-OY.

In presence of- LINCOLN V. JOHNSON. 

